Struggling writer needs help with character name.

[BikeWriter]

What's a good name for this girl? :shrug:

"She had a lovely oval face with finely arched brows and long lashes. He recalled her eyes were a light blue. A light dusting of faint freckles across her nose and cheeks added to her aura of youth. Her full lips were exquisitely shaped and imminently kissable; they turned up at each end giving her a look of constant amusement."

[WritingIsMyReligion]

1. behindthename.com is a life saver.

Can look up all sorts of names, with their origins and meanings, to find the best fits for characters.

Example? From there I got the name "Pyrrhus"--appropriate for a Fire mage, no?

;)

On Edit: Just browsing showed me the name "Aisling"--Irish Gaelic for "dream" or "vision." Blue eyes? Pretty lips? Sounds Irish and "dreamy" to me. Run with it. :D

[BikeWriter]

19. I may have to look there, thank you. I was thinking Camellia, but...

decided no.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

25. No problem.

'S a favorite website of mine....So fascinating. :D

[Gormy Cuss]

2. Pearl.

It was the first name that came into my head after reading the description.

[BikeWriter]

70. I'm trying to think if I've ever known a Pearl. It is pretty, though. ;-)

[Saphire]

3. Dana

[BikeWriter]

15. Another name I like! Somewhat refined, but short.

[BigMcLargehuge]

4. Olive

[WritingIsMyReligion]

6. Must admit that name came to my mind as well.

;)

[KitchenWitch]

5. Sarah

[BikeWriter]

13. I like that name. I know a Darling girll named Sarah. ;-)

[KitchenWitch]

20. I dated a woman named Sarah once!

[BikeWriter]

24. It sort of sounds Biblical but I think it's beautiful. ;-)

[cobalt1999]

96. Sarah Elizabeth

Two great names that just fit together.

[Sequoia]

74. Emily.

Sounds like an Irish lass.

[BikeWriter]

78. For some reason Emily sounds superbly feminine to me. ;-)

[anarch]

7. Minnie Treeby

or,

2. Valeria Lord
3. Florinda Heckendora
4. Nakesha Paul
5. Gidget Riggle
6. Edra Patterson
7. Maye Knapp
8. Delores Baskett
9. Dusty Bryant
10. Jacklyn Osterwise


Thanks to some random random name generator

[HEyHEY]

8. Is she easy?

[BikeWriter]

11. Hmm, in a word... yes! ;-)

[HEyHEY]

27. In that case, call her Shibhoan

[BikeWriter]

37. "Shibhoan" that has to be Irish?

[WritingIsMyReligion]

46. Yes, but HH's got it wrong: it's typically spelled "Siobhan."

Pronounced "show-vahn." Irish for Jeanne, I believe. ;)

Another good Irish name is Saoirse, pronounced "seer-sha" or "sayr-sha". Means "freedom."

[HEyHEY]

109. AH, I knew that spelling didn't feel right

[johnnie]

30. .

:spray:

Dude, sometimes you are too fucking funny.

[HEyHEY]

31. Well, you can't very well call her "sherrie" or something if she's frigid

[BikeWriter]

38. Sherrie does sound hot to me, or Cheri. ;-)

[Richardo]

9. Violet Bustier

:)

[BikeWriter]

36. Hee hee hee! A good one for a stripper, Pard! ;-)

[mdmc]

10. Chelsea

I am writing a story about a runaway named Buffy. Her family originally had intended to call her Catherine Emily Gist Galloway, but her mother got into a fight with the rest of the family, and said, "Fuck it. We are calling her Buffy. Her name is Buffy Galloway.

[Sugar Smack]

32. I like that! Chelsea's good.

:thumbsup:

[BikeWriter]

43. Oh, I have a Doll in one of my books named Michelle Devereaux...

I adore the name. She was raised in France. Ooh la la!

[Ravenseye]

12. Minnesota Blake

aka Minnie aka Mini-B

[BikeWriter]

17. LOL! Why not Texas Tess?

[EstimatedProphet]

14. Amanda

[Ariana Celeste]

16. Sheena

:hi:

[azmouse]

18. Wendy

[Ohio Joe]

21. Eddie

or Emily

[miss_american_pie]

22. an Irish name

freckles and all

[Scout1071]

97. Kate or Katy.

[Sugar Smack]

23. Ariel

[Sugar Smack]

26. Or maybe Erica!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

28. Ruta Dee Versailes

[Call Me Wesley]

29. Elizabeth.

Might be 'Liza' for short. That just popped up.

[SOteric]

33. Cally

Do you have a surname in mind? What's her social status? Spoiled rich kid? Middle-class surburbia? Tough inner city kid?

What's her ethnic background?
What's her education level..?
What does she do for a living?

[hunter]

34. Joe. Call everyone Joe until you call them something else.

Joe

Jo

Zoe. There you go.

[Bossy Monkey]

35. First name of somebody you liked 30 yrs ago, last name of somebody else

you liked 30 years ago. You can always change the character's name(s) later using a simple Find/Replace command. In the meantime, it's easier for you to write it if the character's name brings to mind fond memories.

[BikeWriter]

81. Oh, yes. I fell in love with the last Princess character I created. ;-)

[Alleycat]

39. Celina

[mdmc]

40. How about Ava?

I would like you to use a name that means something. I suggested Chelsea earlier, but I also like the name Ava. I had never heard the name Ava before visiting www.peacetakescourage.com . DU'ers would know that Ava is a young liberal artist. It would have an additional meaning for some of your readers.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

42. Suggestion: Don't own up to naming chars. after people.

Even in the best possible senses.

Law suits, anybody?

;)

[mdmc]

48. Do you think that there is really a liability to using a first name?

I mean, if I named a character after Chelsea Clinton, and her name was Chelsea Smith. If the character had nothing to do with Chelsea Clinton, if the use of the first name was only meant to guide the reader toward a thought (I think that both Hillary and Chelsea would lead a reader to think of the Clinton family. They are the most famous people named Hillary and Chelsea that I can think of), how (under what law) could a writer be sued?

I now noticed that your subject suggested not owning up to naming characters after people. Do you think that it would be a problem if the author didn't "own up to it".

I am currently working on a novel that is written about a local political situation and family. All of the characters are composites of real people. The experiences are very different then reality, but it is a fictional story based on people that have really existed.

[BikeWriter]

44. Hmm, the readers will be on another forum, not here. I do like...

those names, though. Thank you. ;-)

[mdmc]

49. I think that it is important to choose the ideas wisely

unlike real life, a story is created with a purpose. Naming a character John Smith instead of Austin Powers sets the tone of the story.

I would use names that mean something to you, and your audience, if possible. Hell, I think that Ava will be the cheerleading villain in my story. :D

[mdmc]

52. love your sig

[BikeWriter]

56. Thank you. I made the Tet avatar and...

have used it almost exclusively here. ;-)

[mdmc]

84. what is tet?

teach, enlighten!

[BikeWriter]

89. It honors our Brothers and Sisters who died in the Tet Offensives...

in VietNam, particularly the Offensive of 1968. The death toll on both sides was horrendous!

[mdmc]

92. thanks

i wasn't sure if it was a book title or something else. Peace.

[BikeWriter]

105. Nope, not a book title. A dangerous part of my life, and many others.

[Major Hogwash]

110. Wow.

TET was a bitch. The beginning of the end.

[BikeWriter]

113. Yes, it was. The American public had little taste for a bloody war!

[mdmc]

114. yeah... it fucked my uncle up pretty good

he is the only one in my family to go bald. He lost his hair in nam due to stress. Peace.

[Blue Diadem]

41. Becca

[Pendrench]

45. Dionna n/t

[JackBeck]

47. How about Suki?

[BikeWriter]

65. Suki... An image search on that got some interesting results!

[meegbear]

50. Alexa

[IA_Seth]

51. I like Callie...

Because I love a Callie.

[BikeWriter]

54. Or possibly a Cady?

[IA_Seth]

58. Caroline, Calista...

I like those too...Caroline if she is sweet, Calista if she is naughty.

[BikeWriter]

60. Yikes, I've been married to a Carlyn. She might not appreciate it. ;-(

[IA_Seth]

63. Lol!

Yeah, I would never name a character Jolene for the same reason.

And because my imagination could never create a character so vicious! Lol.

[BikeWriter]

66. A Jolene would either be very sweet or vindictive, never neutral!

[swimboy]

53. Livy.

Short for Olivia but so much more approachable.

[blindpig]

55. Audrey Farber

but everybody called her Nancy

[CaliforniaPeggy]

57. I like Kate, or Katherine......n/t

[rug]

59. Condoleezza

[BikeWriter]

62. PHHHHHTTTT! I'd have to kill her then, and I was liking her!

:cry:

[MissMillie]

61. Iris (n/t)

.

[Magrittes Pipe]

64. Chesty Lynette.

:D

[_testify_]

67. Tits McGee!

[BikeWriter]

69. Tits McGee? That's very catchy! ;-)

[BikeWriter]

68. Ooooh, I was going with a Lynette when I met my last ex...

Lynette was not amused!

[ZombieNixon]

71. It's your story. Pick a name you like.

Names mean different things to different people. For instance, the name "George" is a perfectly fine name, but it forever ruined for me (and probably a lot of others on this board) because of the Chimp In Chief. Pick something you like. And, if you decide to change it, as someome mentioned above, Find and Replace All are your friends. Good luck! :) :hi:

[myrna minx]

72. Bridget or Shannon...a good Irish name.

[BikeWriter]

73. Ahh, Shannon is a good one, too. :-)

[WeRQ4U]

75. Nicolette

For some reason I'm picturing an Irish/Scottish girl. Go figure.

[i kiss first]

76. How bout....

Brynn. pronounced brin. do you need a last name?

[BikeWriter]

79. I like it, but I have a friend on another forum named Brenn. ;-)

[dpbrown]

77. Her name was Cami

Her pixieish charm accompanied her dainty demeanor...

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

80. Maleficent

[BikeWriter]

82. Oh wow! That sounds evil! BRRRRRR....

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

83. Yeah - Maleficent is this woman's name

my favorite Disney character of all time

[BikeWriter]

85. Not a nice person, if I recall!

:cry:

[BrklynLiberal]

86. Greta

[i kiss first]

87. How bout....

julie, elise, esprit, pronounced espree, jasmine

[Rabrrrrrr]

88. Myra.

[Redstone]

90. Carolina.

Redstone

[tjdee]

91. Regan, Fawn, Sophia, Emma....

Good luck!

It's hard naming characters sometimes...

[saltpoint]

93. Lottie.

[jukes]

94. judy

but i'm gen-gapped here.

[jukes]

95. so

do you have a blackberry strapt to the handlebars JIC you get an inspiration whilst tooling down the road?



BTW, i always picture a motorcycle when i see your nick. am i right, or is it "mountianbicycle writer"?

[Reciprocity]

98. Renoah or Wren for short.

[steely]

99. Charise or Althea

or maybe Ophelia even?

[Whoa_Nelly]

100. Cheyenne...or...

Carla....or how about....

CHARO!

[WCGreen]

101. Olivia

[Merrick]

102. Mona Mumbles, Lucy Lockjaw, Fatlips Franklin

or Freckles McGee
hope that helps

[The Wielding Truth]

103. Claire Elizabeth Mason (Girl next door) or

Sebrina Blanche Dupont(Rich and Mischievous)

[Mojambo]

104. Throatwobbler Mangrove.

[Evoman]

106. Arched brows...I think Victoria

[amitten]

107. Toonces. n/t

[pitohui]

108. "corny"

i take it your friend the struggling writer is employed by harlequin

i wouldn't worry so much abt naming the girl, i would worry abt selling my soul!

[Major Hogwash]

111. Angelina.

If she is a really good looking charater, yet a heart breaker as well.
Named after her grandmother, on her mother's side.

Known as Angie to her friends, she was as angel to me.

[Zorra]

112. Sounds like an Irish Colleen. n/t

[Arugula Latte]

115. "Lydia" n/t

[LaurenG]

116. Never mind I just read up thread

name her Celeste.

[leeroysphitz]

117. Boutros Boutros nt

[austengirl]

118. How about Caitlin?

Or some variation? Your description sounded vaguely Irish to me.

[Road Scholar]

119. Her name is Eleanor, defiantly Eleanor